Here is a short write-up on my thoughts about the new film, Bilal: A New Breed of Hero. Of course, I’m absolutely biased, being an artist and a lover of anything animation. Plus, I’m always excited to see the stories of people of color brought to life. So…Bilal is an animated film loosely based on the life of the legendary companion of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), Bilal ibn Rabah. He was an Afro-Arab born into captivity in 7th century Mecca. He is also one earliest converts to Islam and was persecuted for this faith. He is most famously known for his melodious voice and as the first mu’adhin, or caller to the prayer. The film is a 2015 English-language Arabic 3Dcomputer-animatedaction–adventure film produced by Barajoun Entertainment and co-directed by Khurram H. Alavi and Ayman Jamal.

So now that you got a little backstory, let’s start with the obvious.

The visuals are amazing! If you are a lover of animation like me, then this movie is a treat for the eyes. The details were so crisp and sharp that I wondered if real-life footage was interspersed between the animation scenes. From the details of a stone floor to the tiniest grains of sand in the desert, every frame contained beautiful artistry. So yeah, there was lots of delicious visual candy. The fight scenes (yep, there are fight scenes, earning that PG-13 rating) are pretty intense and so is the sound and musical score. It has all the feel of a big blockbuster Disney or Pixar-like animation film.

For Muslims who are expecting an exact retelling of the life of Bilal ibn Rabah…don’t. The film makes it clear in the very beginning. Whenever you see the words, “inspired by” or “based on,” prepare yourself for some artistic license. At that point, the viewer is expected to suspend belief and just roll with the story. But for Muslims who know about the life of Bilal ibn Rabah, this may be very hard. He is such an esteemed figure in Islam so some will be put off by the story’s “embellishments.”

I also have to mention his significance for African American Muslims. Although he was not the only sahabah (companion) of African descent, he is one of the most prominent. His life as a former slave speaks to our legacy as African-descended people in this country. Our enslaved Muslim ancestors were brought to these shores. And like Bilal, they were prohibited from practicing Islam. From the mid-1970s to the early ‘80s, the community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (may God bless him) identified themselves as Bilalians. So for us, it’s very personal. It’s more than just seeing an animated retelling of one of our beloved figures. It speaks to our legacy as Black American Muslims.

The film touches on some very unsettling and poignant truths about man’s inhumanity to man. Oppression, slavery, and war are depicted throughout. So the PG-13 rating is warranted. In the center of it all is a man who is discovering his beliefs and questioning the status quo of Meccan society. And it’s around these points that the film gets somewhat murky. How does a film tell the story of an important Islamic figure without explicitly mentioning Islam? Bilal ibn Rabah converses with Abu Bakr as Siddique (may God be pleased with them) about a “movement” for equality and brotherhood. The subject of Islam, or religion, is sort of skipped around. And while I was aware that the film was catered to appeal to a wide audience of those who are not Muslim, it still seemed a bit odd that God was only mentioned a few times.

The words Islam, Qur’an, and Muhammad are never mentioned. I understand the difficulty in talking about Islam without coming off as preachy or self-righteous, but can we, as artists, talk about Islam without talking about Islam? Many of us are struggling with that balance between telling a good story that is illuminated by the high ideals of Islam. It is possible to do this. I feel sympathetic towards the directors in that struggle, being a writer and artist myself. But some Muslims won’t like this, seeing it as a watering down of the message in order to please the masses. And there is no athan, or call to prayer–which is what I was holding out for–as this is what most people know about him.

Also, most historical works describe him as an Ethiopian with kinky hair and dark skin. Some viewers may feel that there is a bit of whitewashing taking place in comparison to the film’s depiction of his honey brown skin and eyes. For some who read this, they may think, “Who cares what he looked like or if his skin was dark enough?” All I can say is that representation matters. It’s important to know that Muslims of African descent are important figures in the history of Islam, not mere figures on the periphery, as detractors of our faith often suggest.

Despite this, I recommend that everyone see the movie. We already know that no film can fully capture a person’s life, and certainly not the inspirational life of Bilal ibn Rabah. But I see this film as a small step. InshaAllah, our teenagers may watch this film and aspire to become filmmakers themselves. We definitely need more Muslim voices in the film industry. Let this be the movie that will challenge our youth to build upon so we can look forward to more exciting films in the future.

However one wants to look at it. And to be honest, I’m not sure if that’s a trial, a blessing, or both. But as I get older, I realize that motherhood may not be “in the cards.” But as I weigh the pros and cons of a childless/childfree life, I’m glad that women like Aisha bint Abi Bakr (may God be pleased with her) are my role models. She was scholarly and inquisitive. Outspoken and beautiful. She was pious, God-conscious and exceptionally, wonderfully “human.” She was the Prophet’s wife (peace be upon him). Over 2,000 hadith are transmitted from her. She had NO children of her own, yet she became our mother–the Mother of the Believers.

So in the light of this great woman, I can’t find it in myself to feel bad or inadequate about being childless/childfree. I simply observe it as a fact, no judgment. It simply “is.” And I say this because there are some who are desperately trying to make me and others feel inadequate for something that is simply the decree of God. Thank God, my family and friends accept me, just the way I am.

No judgment.

I don’t feel inadequate because I understand these verses. “To God belongs the Kingdom of the heavens and the earth; He creates what He will; He gives to whom He will females, and He gives to whom He will males. Or He couples them, both males and females; and He makes whom He will childless. Surely He is All-knowing, All-powerful.” (42: 49-50)

I also understand that what I desire regarding marriage and motherhood is a good thing. But it may not be good “for me.” Or it may not be good for me today, but good for me tomorrow. I may not be ready today but in the near future. “But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you, and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And God Knows, while you know not.” (2:216)

So to my fellow sisters and brothers, in Islam, and in humanity

Those of you with no children,

because you can’t conceive,

because you can’t afford them because,

you haven’t met the right partner,

because you simply do not want them—please know this.

You are loved. You are precious and beloved to your Creator—just as you are.

My “Women in White” painting is including of a series of paintings done with Muslim women as the subject matter. It’s one of a three-part painting series. The other two paintings are entitled “Women in Black” and “Women in Gold.”

This painting is just one of many attempts to mute my palette. Whenever starting a new project, I always gravitate to using bold and bright colors. Not that there’s anything wrong with that but I’m just stretching my palette choices a little bit. All these three paintings are done with muted, neutral tones.The rose gold color is about as close to a reddish tone as it gets.

After completing these series of paintings, I learned quickly that muted does not mean boring or lacking in vitality. My ladies are decked out in milky, silky creams, accented with black, gold, copper, and rose gold. They wear soft-patterned hijabs and sophisticated turbans. I used my favorite art medium–fabric paint–to create the shiny and glittered textures.

I like how it came out. Of course, I had fun painting my ladies in various skin tones. I feel like it is absolutely crucial to show the diversity of Muslim people in my work. Islam is a global faith, but for many people, it only has an Arab, olive-skinned face. But nothing could be further from reality. We are blue-black, sable, tawny, cinnamon, porcelain, alabaster, chai, cafe au lait. (See how I had fun naming those shades!) To promote this awareness, I’ve chosen a mixture of light and dark skin tones for this piece.

I’ve also have chosen to depict different hijab styles–highlighting another expression of diversity in Islam. Muslim women cover our heads in so many different ways. Depicting the various headscarves and wraps show our differently we interpret hijab and what hijab means to each individual Muslim woman.

A few days ago, I posted this status on my Facebook page and promised to expound on it at a later date. Today is that date.

“I hope that in the effort for some men to ‘man up,’ they don’t expect us to ‘woman down.’”

Maybe I’ve been hanging out with the wrong people but something has been disturbing me for some time.

I get the feeling that some men (not all men, thank God) feel that women need to take a step back from all this “education and career chasing” stuff. They feel that we can be ambitious but not “too ambitious” and this ambition should be confined solely to the home. Although, this “ambition” we can be ambiguously defined as some dudes think that having a college degree and/or steady job is too ambitious. Some folks would just call it handling your business and being responsible.

I feel there is a twinge of resentment in these words that mask an inferiority complex and lack of ambition (in my humble opinion) of the part of some guys who think that order for them to feel good about themselves, women need to opt for a financial and educational back seat. My reply to that?

Uh, NO!

I could sit here and write a whole book on this issue but it’s late and I need to get to bed. The simple fact is this: A real man knows his own worth. His self-worth doesn’t rely on other people’s opinions or success. He is in competition with himself alone. He strives to be a better man than he was the day before. And a real man certainly would ask never ask a woman to downgrade her life, education, or career just because he carries the XY chromosome.